The present application relates to the art of LED lighting systems. It finds particular application in the light packages traditionally employed in an incandescent light source and will be described with particular reference thereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate the applicability of the present invention to the applications where a use of an LED light source in a traditional bulb light package can provide advantages such as increased durability, light output stability and energy savings.
Typically, incandescent light bulb packages utilize a light source that includes an incandescent filament within a glass enclosure. However, the incandescent filaments are fragile and tend to gradually degrade during lifetime of a bulb causing the useful light output generated by the filaments to decrease over time. The increasing fragility of the filament with age eventually leads to breakage. Typical incandescent light bulbs have a mean life of 500 to 4,000 hours.
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) present an attractive alternative as a light source in a light bulb package. A low-power, solid-state LED light could last up to 100,000 hours (eleven years), far outdistancing the life of a typical incandescent bulb. When the LED degrades to half of its original intensity after 100,000 hours, it continues operating with a diminished output. In the state of operation with the diminished output, the LEDs are still ten times more energy-efficient than incandescent bulbs, and about twice as efficient as fluorescent lamps. Besides producing little heat and being energy-efficient, LEDs are solid-state devices with no moving parts. LEDs characteristics do not change significantly with age, and they are not easily damaged by shock or vibration. This makes LED lighting systems very reliable. The small shape and low heat generated by the LEDs enables lighting systems to take on various shapes and sizes.
A widespread use of the LED lighting systems have been limited because the consumers are accustomed to seeing and purchasing the traditional bulb lights. The number of various bulb light packages on the market is tremendous. In addition to the unique cosmetic appearance, the packages differ in luminescent levels, color temperatures, electrical requirements, and other characteristics. One approach been to directly retrofit the LED into the existing light package. However, the single LED does not produce the light output of the same optical characteristics as each existing incandescent bulb lamp. In addition, the LEDs emit highly directional light resulting in a narrow light angle and require different input power.
The present invention provides a new LED lamp.